PORT ELIZABETH, 4 February 2015 – Three of Gauteng North’s top amateurs will be looking to impress in this week’s South African Stroke Play Championship at Port Elizabeth Golf Club after receiving the nod for the annual Leopard Trophy later this month.
The South African Golf Association (SAGA) selected the Jason Smith, Hendrikus Stoop and Teaghan Gauche to the eight-man team that will battle a top Scottish side from 18-19 February.
The trio will join the country’s number one ranked Tristen Strydom from Ekurhuleni, Western Province’s Gerlou Roux, Matthew Spacey from Central Gauteng and Ekurhuleni pair Stefan Cronje and Paul Boshoff in the two-day Test at the magnificent Leopard Creek near the Kruger National Park.
Although Spacey is the only member of the 2014 team returning for duty, Smith made his debut for South Africa as a member of the victorious team that chased down South Africa’s 19th consecutive victory in the Africa Zone VI Golf Tournament in April last year.
The Irene golfer was a member of a six-man SA squad that travelled to Scotland last June and faced the Scots in a two-day Test at Western Gailes Golf Club and he also represented South Africa at the World Amateur Golf Championship in Japan with Roux.
Centurion’s Stoop broke into the winner’s circle twice last year with provincial victories in the Eastern Province, while Gauche from Wingate Park rallied after a lengthy injury lay-off to rise back into the top 10 in the Open Amateur rankings.
South Africa scored a convincing 21-7 victory in the inaugural Test in 2010 and won 18-12 in 2011, but the Scots denied the local heroes a hat-trick when they clinched the 2012 edition by two points.
The local team staved off a spirited final round attack from the Scots in 2013 to win 15.5 – 12.5, but the visitors exacted their revenge with a 14-10 victory last year.
The Scots are returning with Scott Gibson, Connor Syme, Daniel Young, Ewen Ferguson and Ben Kinsley from the 2014 team, while the new caps are Craig Ross, Greig Marchbank and Calum Fyfe.
Ends
PHOTOS – Jason Smith, Hendrikus Stoop and Teaghan Gauche will represent South Africa against Scotland in the sixth Leopard Trophy at Leopard Creek in February; credit Michael Sheenan.